October is the scariest time of year! As a big fan of horror, I love recommending Halloween flicks. This will be a recurring column for the month with a different theme of scary movies each week. We’ll start off with the classic type — a haunted house!
All recommendations can be streamed on Netflix Canada.
Host (2020) by Rob Savage
“If I die, I’m going to haunt you myself!”
What’s scarier than a Zoom meeting? Filmed and set entirely on Zoom in 2020, Host is short and shocking. It’s just 56 minutes long, but full of fright. In London, a group of girl friends try to do a virtual séance (a conversation with the dead). Things go very wrong, very fast. One of my favourites of the decade and rewatchable every year. This demonstrates how even indie low-budget (with just $100,000) horror can deliver rapid terror!
His House (2020) by Remi Weekes
“You’re one of the good ones.”
A refugee couple (Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu) fleeing armed conflict in South Sudan seek asylum in London. They quickly face xenophobia and struggle to be accepted by the culture. They’re also haunted by ghosts — both within their home and their minds. This is an emotional debut that highlights social issues, especially from a Black perspective, while also delivering terrifying ghosts.
The Babadook (2014) by Jennifer Kent
“Why can’t you just be normal?”
“(SCREAMS)”
A single mother in South Australia struggles to raise her young son after her husband’s death in a car accident. Even worse, a spectre man in a hat looms within a dark bedroom in the house. This is a horror movie that pioneered the concept of “supernatural as trauma.” There are ghosts, but nothing is more frightening than grief. There’s no escaping that, ever.
Talk to Me (2023) by Michael Philippou and Danny Philippou
“What happens after 90 seconds?”
“They’ll want to stay.”
Bored teens, also in South Australia, play a ritual game to speak with the dead. Naturally, things get too real. As with other scary movies, the paranormal is a parallel for our inner ghosts and haunted memories. Expect heartbreak, physically painful moments, and just a little bit of laughs. Enjoy the 90-second meeting with the dead, but don’t get any ideas!
The Haunting of Hill House (2018) by Mike Flanagan
“I’ve lived with ghosts since I was a kid. Since before I knew they were even there.”
Cheating the “film” aspect of this list, Hill House is a 10-episode miniseries. But every hour delivers some of the most intense frights I’ve seen in modern horror. Jump scares everywhere, horrifying spirits, and plot twists that will send shivers down your spine. What makes Hill House particularly interesting compared to the other entries in this list is that these supernatural fears are weaved masterfully into themes of mental disorder, intergenerational trauma, and substance use disorder.
